Facts on the Trembling Aspen Tree | Home Guides | SF Gate Facts on the Trembling Aspen Tree Facts on the Trembling Aspen Tree Trembling aspens grow in large groves in the wild. Trembling aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) are also known as quaking aspen, golden aspen and white poplar. This deciduous tree belongs to the willow family. Its name originates from the lightweight shiny leaves that quake and tremble when moved by even the gentlest breeze. These trees give the landscape a source of sound and movement. Description Trembling aspen trees reach up to 65 feet tall in ideal growing conditions. Aspen tree bark is creamy white with dark brown or light gray markings. In the spring, tiny flowers cluster together forming silvery catkins, which appear before the leaves unfurl. The round to oval leaves grow in light green, then turn bright gold in autumn. Greenish white fruit capsules less than 1/2 inch long appear during the summer. Tree Gender This aspen tree is dioecious, which means that trees are either male or female. Each gender produces different types of flowers. Nursery and garden centers sell the trees as either male or female.

Only the female tree produces fruit when the flowers are fertilized by a nearby male tree. Clones or root sprouts produce saplings that are the same gender as the parent tree. Habitat This North American native tree grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 1 through 8. According to the USDA, the trembling aspen is the most widely spread tree in North America. The best growing site exposes the tree to full sun. This tree does not like shade or long periods of standing water. Moist, but not waterlogged, soil produces the best growth in these trees. Sprouted seedlings are commonly killed by drought conditions or standing water. These trees are found growing wild in upland woods, mountainsides, mesas, park lands, slopes near valley bottoms and along waterways. Uses Trembling aspen trees are commonly planted in landscapes to produce a quick forest-like feel. Clustering the trees together maximizes the impact of the brilliant autumn color of the leaves. These aspen trees work well to block undesirable summer views and city noise. Because these trees hold more water than conifer trees, they make good firebreaks. The leaves and fruit provide forage for wildlife like deer, rabbits and songbirds.

The trembling aspen trees attracts butterflies and plays host to caterpillars of the eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) and the great ash sphinx (Sphinx chersis). Warning Do not plant these trees near buildings, driveways and sidewalks because they produce large roots near the surface of the ground. The roots will invade any crack or flaw in foundations and cement structures as the tree grows. Keep the tree at least 30 feet from structures that might be damaged by the roots. poplar | tree | Britannica.com Poplar angiosperm Poplar (genus Populus), genus of some 35 species of trees in the willow family (Salicaceae), native to the Northern Hemisphere. The poplar species native to North America are divided into three loose groups: the cottonwoods , the aspens , and the balsam poplars. The name Populus refers to the fact that the trees were often planted around public meeting places in Roman times. The wood of poplars is relatively soft and hence is mostly used to make cardboard boxes, crates, paper , and veneer . European aspen (Populus tremula).

Quaking aspen, also known as trembling poplar (Populus tremuloides), is one of the most … AdstockRF The leaves and fruits of an eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides). Named for their … Kitty Kahout—Root Resources/EB Inc. Physical description Poplars are rapid-growing but relatively short-lived trees. They are widely distributed throughout the northern temperate regions, ranging from North America through Eurasia and northern Africa. The leaves are alternate and oval or heart-shaped in outline, with finely to coarsely toothed margins (leaf edges). The leaves characteristically tremble in the breeze, because of their flat petioles (leaf stalks). In North America, aspens usually have nonsticky buds and smooth gray-to-green bark , whereas cottonwoods and balsam poplars have sticky buds and bark that is darker and deeply furrowed. Poplars are dioecious plants. Their male and female flowers grow on separate trees and bloom in drooping catkins (pendulous unisexual flower clusters) before the leaves emerge, to facilitate wind pollination. The fruits are small thick-walled capsules that contain many minute seeds clothed in cottony tufts of silky hairs.

The seeds are often released in great quantities, and the fluffy seed hairs assist in wind dispersal. Common species Two well-known poplar species of Eurasia are the white and the black poplar. The white poplar (P. alba)—also known as silver poplar for its leaves, which have white felted undersides, and as maple leaf poplar for the leaves’ lobed margins—is widely spreading or columnar in form, reaching 30 metres (100 feet) in height. The gray poplar (P. ×canescens), a close relative of the white poplar, has deltoid (roughly triangular) leaves with woolly grayish undersides. The black poplar, or black cottonwood (P. nigra), has oval fine-toothed leaves, is long-trunked, and grows to a height of 35 metres (115 feet). Columnar black poplars are widely used in ornamental landscape plantings, particularly among the villas of Italy and elsewhere in southern Europe. White and black poplars are widely planted in the eastern United States and in Canada. Similar Topics filbert The balsam poplar , or tacamahac (P.

balsamifera), which is native throughout northern North America in swampy soil, is distinguished by its aromatic resinous buds. The buds of the balm of Gilead poplar (P. ×jackii), which is similar, are used to make an ointment. The western balsam poplar, also called black cottonwood (P. trichocarpa), grows some 60 metres (195 feet) tall and is one of the largest deciduous trees of northwestern North America. The common European aspen (P. tremula) and the American quaking, or trembling, aspen (P. tremuloides) are similar trees and reach a height of about 27 metres (90 feet). Quaking aspen is distinguished by its leaves, which have more-pointed tips, and spreads by rhizomes (underground stems). The American big-tooth aspen (P. grandidentata) grows up to 18 metres (59 feet) and has larger, somewhat rounded, coarse-toothed leaves. A stand of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees.

Such stands are often clonal, as the … Charles Hannum/EB Inc. Cottonwood trees have distinctive deeply fissured bark and are exceptionally tolerant of flooding and erosion . Native to North America, the common, or eastern, cottonwood (P. deltoides) reaches nearly 30 metres (100 feet) tall and bears thick glossy leaves. The Fremont, or Alamo, cottonwood (P. fremontii) is the tallest of the cottonwoods and is found throughout southwestern North America.

The Fremont, or Alamo, cottonwood tree (Populus fremontii) is native to the … Amy Gaiennie/National Park Service trembling poplar - definition of trembling poplar in English | Oxford Dictionaries Definition of trembling poplar in English: trembling poplar Example sentences ‘Through the blackness, the sky glues to the trembling poplars.’ ‘The 7000 years old green and red bog can be reached through trembling poplars, alders, swamp- and birch galleries.’ ‘It is known by many names: quaking aspen, golden aspen, mountain aspen, poplar and trembling poplar.’ ‘Also known as trembling poplar, flattened petioles on the leaves cause them to flutter in the wind.’ ‘Trees were scarce in that part of the valley and only about a mile upstream on the Water of Girvan, trees petered out at a place where trembling poplars grew.’ Word of the Day What area does pedology relate to? movement What area does zymurgy relate to? fermentation What area does seismology relate to? the sea What area does herpetology relate to? reptiles and amphibians What area does climatology relate to?

heat What area does limnology relate to? lakes What area does ecology relate to? echoes What area does petrology relate to? rocks What area does neurology relate to? the nervous system What area does zoology relate to? the air You scored /10 practise again? Retry Most popular in the world Australia Populus tremuloides - Trembling Aspen Populus tremuloides Trembling Aspen Salicaceae (Willow Family) The trembling aspen is the most widely distributed tree in North America. It is known by many names: quaking aspen, golden aspen, mountain aspen, poplar and trembling poplar. Description General - medium to large-sized averaging 21 m (70 ft) high, broadleaved hardwood. Crown relatively small, diffuse. Branches spreading. Trunk upright with little taper, usually branchless below the crown. Branchlets slender, reddy-brown often with a gray waxy film. Buds conical, reddy-brown, terminal bud, they may be slightly resinous. Bark smooth, creamy yellowish-white to very light green on young trees. Later developing thick furrows and becoming dark, especially near the base.

Leaves - alternate, simple, 2.5 - 7.5 cm (1 - 3 in) long, green above and paler below, heart-shaped to nearly round with a fine toothed margin, petiole is flattened. Flowers - dioecious, male and female hanging catkins 1 to 3 inches long. Fruit - catkin 5 - 10 cm (2 - 4 in) long, with attached light green capsules which contain many small hairy seeds. Habitat Widely spread throughout Northwestern Ontario in a great variety of soil conditions ranging from shallow and rocky to deep fresh, coarse loamy sands and heavy clays. The trembling aspen is a major component of the boreal forest in association with a variety of species in mixed stands. Shrub species commonly associated with quaking aspen include beaked hazel, mountain maple, speckled alder, bush honeysuckle, raspberries and blackberries. Herbs characteristic of quaking aspen stands include large leaved aster, wild sarsaparilla, bunchberry and fragrant bedstraw. Notes The light, soft wood has very little shrinkage and high grades of aspen are used for lumber and wooden matches.

Aspen makes particularly good sauna benches and playground structures because the wood surface does not splinter. Most aspen wood goes into pulp and flake-board, however. Many kinds of wildlife also benefit from this tree. More Information - Commercial Profiles for Northwestern Ontario Tree Species. Trembling poplar - Definition and synonyms of trembling poplar in the English dictionary. Translation of trembling poplar to 20 languages. trembling poplar Meaning of trembling poplar in the English dictionary DICTIONARY GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TREMBLING POPLAR noun exclamation Trembling poplar is a noun. A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

ENGLISH WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TREMBLING POPLAR Synonyms and antonyms of trembling poplar in the English dictionary of synonyms SYNONYMS WORDS RELATING TO «TREMBLING POPLAR» trembling poplar trembling poplar alternative name grove crossword puzzle clue tracker that have spotted times there related clues shown below oxford dictionaries british world meaning pronunciation example sentences reference merriam webster tree this word doesn usually appear from premium unabridged offered define with look answers solver anagrams wordreference another aspen also found these entries description forum discussions reverso tremblingly tremble trembly collins always spanish italian Translation of «trembling poplar» into 20 languages TRANSLATOR TRANSLATION OF TREMBLING POPLAR Find out the translation of trembling poplar to 20 languages with our English multilingual translator . The translations of trembling poplar from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «trembling poplar» in English. order by number of speakers alphabetical order कांप चिनार 380 millions of speakers HOW DO YOU SAY TREMBLING POPLAR IN ...

The translation of trembling poplar in German is Zitterpappel Trends of use of trembling poplar TRENDS TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TREMBLING POPLAR» The term «trembling poplar» is barely ever used and occupies the 205.186 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary . 0 4 /100 The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «trembling poplar» in the different countries. Principal search tendencies and common uses of trembling poplar 1 List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «trembling poplar». FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TREMBLING POPLAR» OVER TIME The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «trembling poplar» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «trembling poplar» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about trembling poplar EXAMPLES 10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TREMBLING POPLAR» Discover the use of trembling poplar in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to trembling poplar and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature. 1 Gotthold's Emblems: or Invisible things understood by things ... THE TREMBLING POPLAR. OCTOBER 20. There is a species of poplar whose leaves have long and slender stalks, and are therefore often rustled by a breeze too faint to stir the foliage of the other trees. Noticing the fact one day, when there ... Christian Scriver, 1857 2 The Imperial Encyclopaedic Dictionary: A New and Exhaustive ... trembling-poplar, «. Bot. : Populus tremula, tbe Aspen (q. v.). trembling-tree, s. Bot .: Populus trepida; an American tree, about forty feet high, akin to tbe Aspen, of which some botanists consider it to be only a variety, it has a sub-orbicuiate leaf, ...

Robert Hunter, 1901 3 Arboretum Et Fruticetum Britannicum, Or, the Trees and ... dant in Russia, and particularly so in the woods about Moscow ; and it is, perhaps , worthy of notice, that, in the year 1813, the year following the fire which burned down the greater part of that city, seedling plants of the trembling poplar sprang ... John C. Loudon, 1844 4 American Encyclopedic Dictionary trembling-poplar, *. Bot. : Populus tremula, the Aspen (q. v.). trembling-tree, s. Bot .: Populus trepida; an American tree, about forty foot Inch, akin to the Aspen, of which some botanists consider it to bo only a variety. It has a sub-orbiculato leaf, ... ‎1897 5 Half-hour readings for Sunday afternoons V. THE TREMBLING POPLAR AND THE SILVERY ALMOND TREE. TREES of the poplar family, prominent in almost all our home landscapes, and conspicuous in the scenery of classical and sacred countries, are twice mentioned in the Old ...

Thomas Milner, 1874 6 Arboretum Et Fruticetum Britannicum: Or, The Trees and ... 1813, the year following the fire which burned down the greater part of that city, seedling plants of the trembling poplar sprang up every where among the ruins. The seeds had, doubtless, been wafted thither by the winds in the earlier part of ... John Claudius Loudon, 1854 7 Arboretum et fruticetum Britannicum; or, The trees and ... daut in Russia, and particularly so in the woods about Moscow ; and it is, perhaps , worthy of notice, that, in the year 1813, the year following the fire which burned down the greater part of that city, seedling plants of the trembling poplar sprang ... John Claudius Loudon, 1838 8 Advances in Old Frisian Philology Rolf H. Bremmer, Stephen Laker, Oebele Vries. The aspen is a deciduous tree of the poplar family, also known as Populus tremula, 'trembling poplar'.

It is a very hardy species and tolerates long, cold winters and short summers, and grows ... Rolf H. Bremmer, Stephen Laker, Oebele Vries, 2007 9 The plants of the Bible, trees and shrubs The quaking of its leaves has given origin to the name of trembling poplar, which is applied to it. The moving of the leaves seems to be referred to in the following passage: — "And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in ... John Hutton Balfour, 1857 The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details White birch, Saskatchewan arboreal emblem. Saskatchewan Provincial Secretary All of the broad-leaved trees of Saskatchewan are flowering plants (angiosperms) and dicots (i.e., where seedlings have two seed leaves or cotyledons). They are deciduous, shedding their leaves at the end of summer. Broad-leaved trees are also called hardwoods because of the high density of their wood (compared to softwoods such as conifers). The eight species which regularly exceed 10 m in height at maturity, or large trees, are the subject of this entry.

Eleven other native woody dicots can be small trees: speckled alder, water birch, mountain ash, two or three willows, saskatoon, chokecherry, pincherry, wild plum, mountain maple, and nannyberry. The diversity of broad-leaved trees mirrors their nationally and globally higher diversity as compared to coniferous trees. Five of these trees (Manitoba maple, green ash, American elm, bur oak, eastern cottonwood) belong to the western elements of the eastern deciduous temperate forest of North America, and commonly occur together. The other three species (trembling aspen, balsam poplar, white birch) are associated with both the boreal forest and the eastern deciduous forest but are usually thought of as boreal species. Manitoba maple (Acer negundo: family Aceraceae) is most prevalent along the river valleys and coulees of south-central and southeastern Saskatchewan, with an extension westward along the South Saskatchewan River . It is associated with green ash and with American elm, trembling aspen, white birch, and balsam poplar in the north-central and northeastern part of its range.

The mature tree is usually 10–15 m in height, with diameters up to 50 cm; it has ridged, light grey bark, and the opposite leaves are normally divided into several parts. The winged seeds spin like helicopters when released from the tree. The distribution of green ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica: family Oleaceae) is almost identical to that of Manitoba maple, excluding the South Saskatchewan. Green ash is a denizen of alluvial floodplains, lake shores, and coulees. It may be confused with Manitoba maple, but its opposite leaves are divided into five or seven leaflets. The 3 cm- long winged seed spins when released from the tree. Mature trees may be over 20 m tall, with diameters over 50 cm; the trunk is straight and tapers a little, with ridged brownish-grey bark. It is an important landscaping tree. American or white elm (Ulmus americana: family Ulmaceae) is often planted for shade. The most extensive natural stands, with the largest trees, are found on the rich alluvial soils of the floodplains of the Carrot and Saskatchewan rivers near the Manitoba border.

The species also occurs in the Dirt Hills and in the wooded coulees of the Missouri Couteau , but is much smaller in these prairie environments. The tree reaches heights of 25 m and diameters of over 50 cm, with entire, sharply toothed, opposite leaves up to 10 cm long and dark, ridged and furrowed bark. The species has been ravaged by beetle-borne Dutch elm disease, and most natural populations are in serious decline. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa: family Fagaceae) is found in the southeast of the province, mainly along the valleys of the Qu’Appelle and Souris Rivers , with a small population along the Assiniboine River . The alternate leaves are deeply lobed, and the bark is rough and deeply furrowed. This tree is relatively small in Saskatchewan, reaching heights of 15 m and diameters of 30 cm. The eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides: family Salicaceae) is a large poplar found along the flood plains of the North and South Saskatchewan rivers, and sporadically along the Qu’Appelle and Souris river valleys.

It also inhabits moist, sandy depressions in the Great Sand Hills. The tree reproduces by seed and by suckering from roots and branches carried downstream by water. The leaves, triangular and with rounded teeth, have a length of 5–10 cm. The cottony seeds are borne in capsules called catkins. Cottonwood can be a large tree over 25 m in height and 100 cm in diameter, with corky, deeply furrowed bark. These trees are used in shelterbelts and for landscaping (often as hybrids). The alluvial ecosystems dominated by cottonwood are considered endangered because of changes produced by hydroelectric dams that prevent the spring floods which have for ages created the alluvial seed beds required for the perpetuation of this species. Trembling aspen (P. tremuloides) is perhaps the best known of our native broad-leaved trees. It is found from coulees in the south to the groves of the Aspen Parkland to the boreal forest. It makes up the bulk of pure hardwood stands in the Boreal Plain and is a major component of mixedwood forests (associated with white spruce or jack pine).

It becomes less common northward across the Boreal Shield, and is rare in the Taiga Shield. This is a slender, graceful tree having smooth bark (made whitish-green by a powdery bloom) and a rounded crown. The leaves, with fine teeth, are nearly circular with a short tip. The leaf stalk is flattened, which enables the leaves to tremble in the slightest breeze, giving the tree its name. The downy seed is found in capsules on the long catkins, but the tree usually reproduces vegetatively by suckering. The trembling aspen, which may attain heights of over 30 m and diameters of over 40 cm, is a source of commercial pulp and wood products. Balsam poplar (P. balsamifera) is a tree of moist depressions, lake shores, and river valleys. It ranges from the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan valleys to the boreal forest to the Northwest Territories (NWT) border. This species has a bullet-shaped crown occupying the upper half of the trunk. The bark is dark and furrowed on the bottom of the trunk, but smoother and olive-green higher up the bole. The cottony seeds are in capsules on long catkins.

The finely toothed leaves are egg-shaped, with a gradually tapering, pointed tip. The resinous buds give off an exquisite scent on moist spring evenings. The name of the tree derives from this scent, which resembles the perfume of the balm of Gilead (P. candicans), itself deriving its name from a resemblance to that of the Old World balm of Gilead (Commiphora gileadensis). Balsam poplar can be a very large tree, with heights of over 30 m and diameters of over 100 cm. White birch (Betula papyrifera: family Betulaceae) is the arboreal emblem of the province of Saskatchewan. This tree is found from Moose Mountain and the Cypress Hills north through the boreal forest to the NWT border. Birch seldom forms pure stands of any extent, being almost always associated with other broad-leaved or coniferous trees. It flourishes in dry sandy sites and on rock outcrops as well as in moist, rich riparian areas such as river valleys and lake shores. The leaves are egg-shaped, with large, pointed teeth and a length of up to eight cm.

The winged seeds are dropped from the catkins in fall and winter, and it is common to see the scales and seeds scattered over snow surfaces beneath birch trees. The outer papery bark peels away from the trunk over time. The shapely coniferous trees of Saskatchewan’s boreal forest and Cypress Hills are all naked-seeded plants (gymnosperms) in the family Pinaceae. Their seeds are borne on scales arranged into cones (hence the name coniferous). They all have needle-like leaves and fragrant, resinous wood of considerable commercial value in some species. Mature trees have short branches, straight trunks, and conical to columnar crowns. All are evergreen (their needles live for two or more years), with the exception of tamarack, our only deciduous conifer. All of our species are shade-intolerant, and most of the canopy of an old stand must be removed in order for these species to be successfully regenerated by fire or logging (balsam fir is the exception to this rule). The low diversity of this group (six species) is typical of the boreal forest, an unproductive biome with harsh winters and short, dry summers.

The native conifers are widespread across the rest of the Canadian boreal forest. The native pines are tough trees adapted to growth on dry sands or rocky sites. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and jack pine (P. banksiana) are sister species thought to have arisen from an ancestral pine whose population was split by the last continental ice sheet. Jack pine is found from the prairie-forest ecotone to the NWT border, while lodgepole pine is restricted to the Cypress Hills. Both species have 2–4 cm-long needles, grouped in pairs. Both attain heights of 20–25 m and diameters of over 40 cm. The cones are serotinous, i.e., their scales stay firmly closed until heated in a forest fire or by sun-warmed ground. The cone scales of lodgepole pine are armoured with prickles. These pines grow in pure stands, but associations with trembling aspen, white birch or black spruce (for jack pine only) are fairly common. Jack pine is an important lumber species. White spruce (P. glauca) and black spruce (P. mariana) are trees of moist to wet sites.

White spruce is the signature tree of the southern boreal mixedwood zone (the Mid-boreal Upland). It is also a conspicuous tree of moist, nutrient-rich riparian zones bordering waters across the Boreal Plain. Its prominence in the forest declines on the Shield, and it is virtually absent north of Lake Athabasca. Black spruce is the characteristic boreal conifer of poorly drained fens and bogs (peatlands) with cold and nutrient-poor organic (peaty) soils. On the Shield it also occurs on rocky upland sites. White spruce has longer needles (2 cm) than black spruce (1.25 cm), and its cones are up to 5 cm long and narrowly cylindrical, while black spruce cones are egg-shaped and up to 2.5 cm long. Black spruce cones are serotinous. The presence of minute white hairs on the young twigs of black spruce conclusively differentiate it from white spruce. White spruce is the largest provincial tree, reaching heights of over 30 m and diameters well over 50 cm.

Black spruce is a smaller tree, with a narrower crown and down-sweeping branches; it has a height of over 20 m and a diameter of over 30 cm. White spruce is the most valuable lumber tree in Saskatchewan. Tamarack or larch (Larix laricina) is a deciduous conifer found in swamps with groundwater flow or in very acid black spruce sphagnum peat bogs with little groundwater influence. The species occurs throughout the provincial boreal forest. Tamarack is the most shade-intolerant of the native conifers and always grows in open stands. Its soft, light-green needles (up to 2.5 cm long) appear in clusters of 10–20 on dwarf twigs. In autumn, it lights up the wetlands with a gorgeous golden-yellow display as its needles turn colour and fall. Larch cones are about 1.5 cm long and open to shed seed in the fall. The tree may attain a height of over 25 m and diameters of over 40 cm.

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) seedlings are able to grow in the shade of other trees and, in the absence of fire, may become the canopy dominants. Because fir sheds its cone scales and seeds each fall, it has no canopy seed bank and if fire sweeps through a stand the species is likely to be extirpated, with no seed bank available for reestablishment. Balsam fir is of sporadic occurrence in Saskatchewan (largely restricted to the southern half of the boreal forest), most often appearing on moist, rich sites in riparian areas in the lee of lakes or rivers, where the trees have the greatest chance of escaping periodic forest fires. Fir needles are flat; the bark is smooth and grey, with resin-filled blisters that pop when pressed, exuding the aromatic resin characteristic of this fragrant tree. The crown is narrow, pyramidal, and spire-like at its apex. The tree may attain a height of over 25 m and a diameter of over 40 cm. Robert A.

Wright balsam poplar Balsam Poplar Branching: Alternate Other names: Black Poplar Balsam Poplar can look very similar to Eastern Cottonwood and apparently hybridizes with it often. It is usually smaller a smaller tree, and more typically found farther north. The buds are usually larger than the Trembling or Large-toothed Aspen, but share a similar colouration with Trembling Aspen (though Trembling Aspen buds have more scales). In size, they are similar to Eastern Cottonwood but are reddish-brown, rather than yellowish-brown and are much more resinous. The resin, as well as a strong spicy aroma is evident if the buds are crushed. If you get a leaf, a good distinction is that Balsam Poplar leaf stalks are round, whereas Eastern Cottonwood (and the Aspens) are flattened and do not roll easily between the fingers. Also the Balsam Poplar leaves themselves are much more elliptical and elongated than the other members of the group (though intermediates are possible with hybrids with Eastern Cottonwood) End bud of Balsam Poplar. The inside of the bud when crushed. Fragrant and very sticky! Lateral bud.

Notice how the lowest bud scale is directly above the leaf scar. This is the case with all Poplars. Balsam Poplar Balsam Poplar end bud next to a Trembling Aspen. Colour is similar but Balsam Poplar is larger and with fewer bud scales Leaves can be helpful as Balsam Poplar have the most elongated leaves of the Poplars and this rounded leaf stalks Like other members of the group, Balsam Poplars are sun-loving trees that quickly sprout up after a disturbance, but are eventually overshadowed by slower-growing trees Young bark (not always this dark, though. Balsam Poplar bark as it begins to split. It is more grey than the Aspens but can be similar to Eastern Cottonwood Aspen Poplar | Newsletters Aspen Poplar Populus tremuloides – This tree was named because of the way the leaves flutter or tremble in even a light breeze. Other names In Latin: Populus tremuloides Michx.

Populus (people) refers to the practice of planting this tree in public city squares; Tremulus means “trembling”; odes means “appearing like” In English: Aspen, trembling aspen, quaking aspen, quiver-leaf In French: Peuplier faux-tremble, tremble, peuplier blanc Taxonomy SALICACEAE (Willow family) Description Aspen poplar is a slender deciduous tree that grows up to 30 m (100 ft.) tall. It is common in much of Canada’s parkland and boreal forest. Bark: These trees have smooth, light green or whitish bark. Large trees can be blackish and fissured at the base. Buds: Winter buds of poplars have several scales, unlike those of willows, which have a single bud scale. The buds of aspen poplar are not coated with a fragrant, sticky resin like those of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera). Leaves: In aspen, the leaf stalks (petioles) are vertically flattened. They attach to the leaf blade at right angles to the leaf surface. The leaf stalks are also relatively long.

These characteristics make the leaves tremble or quake even in a light breeze. The leaves are light to medium green and relatively small – 3 cm – 7 cm (1 1/4 – 2 3/4 in.) long. They are almost round or broadly egg-shaped, except for the small, sharp tip. In contrast, the leaf stalks of balsam poplar are round and not flattened; and the leaf blades are much longer than they are wide. It is important to learn the difference between aspen and other poplars. Look beneath the tree for last year’s leaves, and check that their shape matches the sketch. Trees: Poplar trees are either female or male. In spring, both “boy trees” and “girl trees” produce gray, woolly catkins, or dense clusters of tiny flowers. The catkins on male trees shed pollen, and those on female trees produce seeds. Flowers: The catkins swell and lengthen in very early spring before the new leaves emerge. They look like soft caterpillars hanging down from the stems; blooming is completed before leaves emerge.

Male flowers: Fuzzy catkins on male trees emerge in late winter, and lengthen in early spring to about 6 cm (2 1/2 in.). As they lengthen, their colour changes from gray, to pinkish (color is from pink pollen sacs), then they turn pale yellow, and, finally, gray, once the pollen sacs have split to release the powdery,yellow pollen to the spring wind. The spent, gray catkin gradually dries and falls off the tree. Female flowers: Grey catkins (colour is from the hairy bracts) first turn reddish. Wind-blown pollen lands on the stigmas and pollination occurs. Very soon the catkin turns green as it grows and lengthens. It is fascinating to see the changes – use a magnifying lens, or dissecting microscope to see this. The mature female catkin, about 10 cm (4 in.) long, holds many slender, green, conical capsules, 3 mm – 5 mm (1/8 – 1/5 in.) long and warty, each containing tiny, light brown seeds with white fluffy hairs. After flowering finishes, seeds take four to six weeks to develop.

Then the seed capsules split, and the air carries the buoyant seeds, which can form puffy snow-like drifts that line forest trails. Click here to view a larger image of female poplar catkins. Distribution in Alberta Habitat Aspen poplar is found in a variety of habitats from low elevations up to the subalpine. It is a common tree of dry and moist woods and prairie parklands. It grows best in well-drained, moist but not wet, loamy soils. It is considered a pioneer species – the first species to appear after a disturbance such as fire or logging – and cannot tolerate shade. How to Observe For Plantwatch, it is important to know the difference between male and female trees. Only information on the flowers and leaves of male trees should be recorded. How to recognize male and female trees before flowering: In very early spring, locate several aspen poplar trees with low branches. Use masking tape and a permanent marker to label different trees (#1, #2, etc.). Find a branch within reach on each tree that has already small catkins, or at least large buds. Remove a small branch and mark with tape with the correct tree number.

For example, mark both the removed twig and another branch left on the tree as #1. Mark another tree as well as the twig removed from that tree as #2, and so on. Place the removed twigs inside your house or school in a jar of water. Place a dark paper or cloth under the jar. Soon the catkins will get longer and turn pinkish. If the branch is from a male tree the catkins will then turn pale yellow and shed yellow pollen at the slightest touch. Outdoors, the wind quickly blows pollen away, so try this to be sure of your tree. Female catkins do not have pollen. If the catkins on your outdoor tree eventually turn green, the tree is female, and the search for male trees continues! (A suggestion from the McKinstry’s of Oyen, Alberta) If you have a magnifying glass or dissecting microscope available, discover the beautiful structures inside the opening catkins! How to Observe: Flowering Poplar flowering is tricky to observe. Follow these steps to have successful poplar observations! Once you are sure you have a male tree, start watching it when the catkins are about 1 cm (2/5 in.) long.

If the temperature climbs above 10oC (50oF) for a few days, then check your tree daily. Please record the dates for both flowering and leafing. Watch for the first date when the catkins release a small cloud of yellow pollen if the branch is touched slightly. Flowering can be over in two or three days, so watch your trees carefully in early spring! Leafing occurs later than flowering. Record the calendar dates for flowering, as follows: First bloom: when the catkins on the male tree first start shedding pollen (in 3 different places on the tree). Mid bloom: when 50% of the male catkins have lengthened and shed pollen (turned pale yellow) There may be a few unextended catkins (some may later dry up without releasing pollen at all) and a few with unopened pink pollen sacs. At this stage there should be no dangling, dry or withered catkins on the tree. Leafing: when the first leaves have emerged and unfolded completely in 3 different places on the tree.

photos by Pat Marlowe Importance of Leafing Observations Because aspen poplar leaf-out times (like flowering) are influenced by temperature, they can be used to monitor the biological effects of climate change. Additionally, with the help of satellites, leafing (or “green-up”) can be monitored over a much larger geographical area than can flowering (which requires on-the-ground observation). However, information that is received via satellite must be correlated with the leaf-out that is happening on the ground. Life Cycle Aspen poplar flowers are wind-pollinated. Spring winds, unhampered by tree leaves, carry pollen from male catkins to female catkins on another tree. The pollen fertilizes the ovules in the female catkins and seeds result. The seeds are carried by the wind. Hairs on the seeds help carry them on their airborne journeys, up to 30 km (20 mi.) in storms. However, the seeds are viable only for a short period, from three days to three weeks. They require bare, wet soil for successful germination. But aspen poplars don’t rely just on seeds to reproduce. They reproduce mainly by growing shoots (suckers) from the large root system.

The resulting colonies or clones, some as old as 1000 years, can easily be identified in spring or fall because all the trees in a clone are genetically identical. (They all flower, leaf out and drop their leaves at the same time.) Phenology Aspen flowers and leafs out early in the growing season, and full bloom of aspen can be used to define the biological start of early spring. In much of Canada’s West, aspen is flowering when flocks of geese are pouring north, wood frogs are calling, mountain bluebirds are finding nest sites, and sharp-tail grouse are doing their dawn dances. Prairie crocus often starts blooming at the same time aspen does. In autumn, leaves turn bright yellow, or occasionally, orange. Ecology Aspen poplar groves provide important wildlife habitat. The bark and leaves of this tree are the favourite food of beavers, which use the branches to build their lodges and dams. Young twigs and leaves are browsed by hoofed animals such as deer, moose and elk. (Aspen is one of the top six favourite non-aquatic foods for moose.) When other food supplies are low, these mammals will eat the bark.

Snowshoe hares eat the bark, and grouse eat the winter buds. This species is fast-growing but lives only a short time, up to 80 – 100 years. It regenerates quickly after fire or tree cutting by suckers from roots near the surface of the ground. Thus, aspen is an important fire-successional species in the boreal forest. Aspen matures in 60 – 80 years, and succession is often to white spruce as long as there is adequate soil moisture. Forest fire is an important element in the establishment and maintenance of aspen stands. Aspen poplar forests appear to be stable communities that dominate large areas of the landscape. In fact, they are really transitional communities dependent on frequent fire for establishment and rejuvenation. A fire frequency of approximately 100-300 years is needed to keep aspen stands healthy. However, because aspen stands do not burn burn easily – they are sometimes called “asbestos forests” – researchers believe that in the past, burning conditions for such fires must have been very hot and intense. Fire affects aspen in a variety of ways, depending on its intensity and on soil factors.

Generally, most fires kill the above-ground parts of the plant. Even when they are not killed outright by fire, burnt trees have a greatly increased potential for wood rot. But the below-ground parts usually survive, and fire promotes suckering and sprouting from root crowns and stumps. Fires also result in increased soil temperatures and reduced competition, so that aspen stands often form the dominant vegetation type after fire. Since the arrival of Europeans in North America, fire suppression and grazing have upset this natural cycle, and healthy aspen stands are decreasing in number. Human Uses First Nations People named the aspen poplar “the noisy tree” because of the sound of fluttering leaves. The buds, inner bark and leaves of this tree were important sources of natural curatives used by First Nations People such as the Cree and, through them, the early settlers. The active ingredient in aspirin occurs in the inner bark of aspen. The Cree made a tea from the inner bark that was helpful in treating rheumatism, diarrhea, liver and kidney problems, and coughs. A similar tonic, with the addition of tree fungus, eased earaches. Aspen leaves relieved the itch of insect stings.

On the sunny side of open-grown aspen trees, the photosynthetic bark produces a protective white powder, which was used by First Nations Peoples as a sunscreen. Canoe paddles and tipi poles were commonly made from aspen wood. Now, aspen poplar is cut down for pulp and to make oriented-strand board. Wooden matches are made by steaming poplar logs and peeling the wood layers. Horticulture (Use in the Garden) Aspen is a great tree to grow on a rural property or in a large schoolyard. It is very hardy in drought and in extremes of heat and cold. It grows fast and is very persistent. It is the first tree to leaf out in the spring and the last to lose its leaves in the fall. A stand of aspen can also be an important habitat and food source for wildlife. It can also be used for an average-sized yard, but for a small city garden there are some concerns. Although aspen is easily grown, it is susceptible to rot, insects and disease, and the roots can send up many suckers and grow to block sewer pipes if pipes are leaking. Gardening Tip: Plant your potatoes when the leaves appear on aspen trees.

Quotes “Aspen is probably North America’s most abundant tree, due to its widespread occurrence. Additionally, and less appreciated, aspens are probably North America’s and the world’s largest individual life forms. Due to the clonal habit, thousands of shoots (ramets) are linked together to form one individual covering tens of hectares. While there has been no systematic search for the largest aspen clone, one clone near Salt Lake City, Utah, named ‘Pando’ (Latin for ‘spread’) is estimated to exceed 5,000 tons, about 3 x greater than the largest giant sequoia tree. The aspen clones thus dwarf conifers and certainly whales. These clones also are bigger organisms than the forest fungi that have been recognized to be large life forms and were previously claimed to be the world’s ‘largest living thing’.” From Dr. Stewart Rood – Poplar biologist and professor at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, 1997. References Brayshaw, T.C. 1996. The catkin-bearing plants of British Columbia. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia. Craighead, F.C., Jr. 1994.

For everything there is a season: the sequence of natural events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone Area. Falcon Press, Montana. Farrar, J. L. 1995. Trees in Canada. Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., Markham, Ontario, and the Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. Johnson, D., L. Kershaw, A. MacKinnon, and J. Pojar. 1995. Plants of the western boreal forest and aspen parkland. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, Alberta. Parish, R., R. Coupe, and D. Lloyd. 1996. Plants of southern interior British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, Alberta. Scoggan, H. J. 1978. Flora of Canada. Natural Museum of Natural Science Publications in Botany No. 7, Ottawa, Ontario. Stettler R.F., H.D. Bradshaw, Jr., P.E. Heilman, and T.M. Hinckley, eds. 1996. Biology of Populus and its implication for management and conservation. NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario.

Viereck, L.A., and E.L. Little. 1972. Alaska trees and shrubs. Forest Service, USDA, Washington, D.C. Search

Question: Which tree is known as the trembling popIar?
Answer: Aspen